the gymnast

We missed out on participating in the spring invitational this year.  Lily was so bummed.
(Picture daily crying spells lasting a minimum of 15 minutes each).
Kindly, the coaches allowed her to come in on a Saturday and bring her fans with her.  She performed each of her routines and was scored by a coach.   She is fun to watch, I love her fearlessness and competitive streak.  Although the later has me a bit perplexed.  It's hard to know whether to tamp it down just a bit, or let it go (it's what drives her desire?)  After one particularly hard day, she confided in me and said that the main reason she was sad about missing the invitational is because she wouldn't get the chance to win a trophy again. ohhhh.  I replied with all the things you might think of, like how fun it is to be able to learn and develop your skills in gymnastics.  And how cool to be able to have your family come and watch you (without the crowd) perform.  And how competition isn't everything.  Sometimes you just need to be proud of your accomplishments without comparing yourself to others.  I wonder if anything sank in.  My own head has been full of thoughts.  Again with the extra-curricular theme from the last post...there are lessons around each corner...and mostly they have nothing to do with the sport itself. :)  One things for sure, I love this little 5 year old gymnast.

The Razors

A simple caption would be that Zach had a great soccer season.  Got on with a talented little team of guys that tied for 1st in their division.  He was a force to be reckoned with, a scoring machine (the entire team was!).  But each Saturday morning I would sit up on that windy soccer hill, freezing in my little pop up chair and look around at the hundred or so other parents lining the fields.  And in a shivering state I'd ask myself, why in the world are we all here (so early too!?)  But oh, I look at these photographs! Concentration in that tongue, a gripped fist. Determination so evident in each muscle of his body.  From what I have gathered in my personal "mother that shuttles kids to activities all week long" experience, there is so much more than physical development going on.  

On Saturday evening I pushed my shopping cart out of the grocery store while Lily, beside me,  twirled and hummed, and jumped over every crack we passed.  I marveled at her beauty and innocence and, well, her agility too.  My heart did that thing wherein it feels altogether too large for the space inside my body.  And I wanted her to know, so I said, 

"Lily, you are worth more than all the diamonds, all the rubies, and all the gold in this whole wide wide world!"

She looked up at me as we continued to walk, steadying herself with the cart, and smiled wide. 

In reply she raised her voice to a girlish pitch and said, "Yeah, I think pretty much only Jesus might be better than me."

I laughed out loud.  I'm not sure how I expected her to reply, but it was perfect Lily-form.  And I realized in that moment that despite this world's ability to be so cruel to girls, I desperately want her to always feel this way.  More than diamonds, rubies and gold.

It's difficult to be concise these days.

Moving is funny that way. 

You take everything out of the cupboards,

inspect it, box it up, throw it out, make piles... 

I'm referring to the stuff we surround our lives with.

But I'm also talking about the mental and emotional process too.

A fresh start, a new beginning...well, there is just so much to evaluate.

Moving is a natural opportunity to decide what stays and what goes.

I'm trying to choose wisely.

April

 

April has been good.  So good in fact, that I wake up and then it seems that only minutes pass before it's dark again and I'm getting into bed wondering how in the world a full day has passed.

The Kansas City Temple Open House has been spectacular. It has been so wonderful to share it with my friends and family.  This temple is such a tremendous blessing.  (Saturday is the last day for the open house, if you haven't gone and want to, let's go together!!)

 

My parents took the opportunity to celebrate their love, marriage and family.  They planned a special evening.  Everyone was in town.  We enjoyed dinner, poems they wrote to each other, and a beautiful slideshow that chronicled our family from it's very beginning (my parents love!)  This night will live in my memory for a long long time.  It goes down as one of the best memories that my parents have purposefully created for us.  (the other is probably the time they staged a food fight for our family!!).  After a series of incredibly difficult years, this night was nothing short of healing.  I hugged my siblings afterwards, and I'm quite certain that I am still feeling those hugs today.  I've always felt an intense bond and love for my family, despite our imperfections.  That love has deepened even further.

Then there is this little lady.  Looking at this picture makes me want to run up and grab her out of her crib and kiss her perfect cheeks.  She is a wild and precious baby.  She is so happy and so good.  Crawling?  Why yes...everywhere.  Just the other day she made her way over to a basket full of laundry.  She grabbed the top of the rim and popped herself up like it was no big deal.  Standing. What? There is no slowing her down.  And trust me, I want to.

Today.

Take your child to work day.

The most memorable thing for me was listening to all of Zachary's questions leading up to this very exciting day.  All of his concerns revolved around how/what/when he was going to be getting his meals.

"Will we get donuts again like last year?"

"Do you think we will get to eat lunch at a restaurant?"

"So, will I be home for dinner or will we still be working?"

I love that kid.

And finally,

this last bit honestly deserves it's very own post.

We are buying a house of our very own.

We close on May 23rd.

I can hardly sleep at night, 

I am filled with enormous gratitude and excitement.

Happy Easter & Happy Birthday

Oh we've had such gorgeous weather, and Easter Sunday was no exception.

There was a little egg hunt of course for the busy busy children.

Thank goodness Roman and Marquise got a head start.

Cherry-Almond cupcakes were baked up to celebrate Roman's 3rd birthday.

He also opened a few gifts.

He's serious about his sports in case you couldn't determine from the photos.

Watch out.

I luuuuuuv that little guy!

Also, I have to include a phone-video from the day.

Because you know I will do whatever it takes to hear this sweet little laugh.

a-dor-able.

hunting eggs round one : annual neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Lately, in solitary minutes, I've been conjuring up my embarrassing moments.

It's a fun game because, they are plentiful.

On one occasion, I was spared the public portion of humiliation.

As a senior in college I entered my final observation review with a professor.

I knew she loved me, this would be easy, and full of accolades.

As I sat across the table, she smiled warmly and declared,

"Tara, you have the Gift of Gab!"

I smiled back, knowing by the way she announced it, that it must be good.

And seeing as how an education at BYU had always encouraged my spiritual development alongside the secular,

I vividly remember thinking (with just a touch of smugness),

"Ummmm, I'm going to have to look that one up, must be some Old Testament prophet I've never heard of. Gab."